Page 58 of The Song of Sunrise (The Prentice Teller #1)

The Final Task

E ager arms pat my back and wish me luck as I head to the stage. I can barely hear them over the blood pounding in my ears. Someone grabs my elbow.

“Akemi, here—take this!” Ramona hands me my sheath of throwing stars. I am forever grateful for her. I tuck the pouch under my cape, quickly securing it around my waist before anyone notices.

“Can you hold onto this for me? Keep it safe.” I hand her the patch of Teller fabric from my pocket. She knows what it means to me. She carefully pockets the little square and urges me forward.

Other champions weave their way to the stage through the crowd. Leaf and Castor to my right. Gryphon and Selene to my left. Ahead of me, Ragnar’s hulking figure shoves people out of the way. I clench my teeth and follow in his wake, helping those up around me back to their feet.

Be careful, Akemi. More than winning, I need you to stay alive. Atlys’s voice fills my head. I swallow thickly at his words. He would rather I live and quit than die trying.

But I need this. To win the Summit. There are no stories about heroes only completing two thirds of their quest. No. This is where my trust test comes into play.

I stumble over something—no someone—on the ground.

“Artemis! Get up!” I pull the scrawny boy upward. How he managed to make it this far is truly a feat. Then again, perhaps that is what others think when they see me.

We join the line of champions standing in their various ceremonial formal wear. Markus walks along the line of newly minted Watchers with a straight face, fighting what appears to be a smirk and sneer at the same time.

“In a matter of minutes, this stage will transform into the setting for our third and final Summit task.” He pulls on a large rope, splitting the heavy curtains aside to reveal a giant stone wall with twelve onyx doors.

One for each champion. Attendants line us up by our team clusters.

The human champions are each placed in front of the doors farthest to the left.

Then the Forest Tribe. Then the Jord Court.

Then the Terraguard Court. Luckily, I’m placed between Selene and Gryphon.

It’s a small mercy not to enter directly next to Sabra, who is currently snarling at Selene.

“The goal of the task is simple: the first champion to complete the task wins. You will enter through these doors, which will transport you into a maze. Professor Gregorio has truly outdone himself with this.

“At the center of the maze is our beloved prize for the Summit, the Helios Blessing. First champion to the center gets the prize! The corresponding royal delegate must immediately report for contract negotiations.”

The Jord Lord straightens at the mention of the treaty. With all three of his champions left in the Summit, his chances for winning are high. Not if I can get there first.

Professor Hogsmith continues. “Only one channeling stone is allowed per champion… to even the playing field.” Ragnar grunts in disapproval.

Locks of matted red hair fall into his face as he drops two of his stones into a basket a small attendant is holding.

The poor attendant catching the channeling stones looks like he would rather be anywhere else but on this stage next to some of the most lethal human channelers the Watch has to offer.

If no channeling stones were allowed in the last two tasks, why are they allowing them now?

Sweat begins to bead along my forehead. I only just received my first stone, and I’m not even sure of the capabilities of channeling Sun’cher magic with it, let alone my Starwatcher abilities.

I rub the golden cufflink on my wrist, finding little solace in the singular stone embedded there.

“There may be a few obstacles in the maze, so stay alert,” Commander Hogsmith says.

“Well that’s vague,” Gryphon mumbles to my right.

I chuckle despite the gravity of the situation.

The Commander continues, “The only rule: no killing blows.”

I choke on the dry air. Oh great, what a relief.

Carefully, I bend my knees to suppress the tremble beginning to form.

I will not let them see me quake.

“Champions, please turn around to face your door. On my count, you will enter,” the Commander instructs.

I turn toward the tall, arched door. The stone wall looks ancient, like the caves underneath the Watch. The wood grain curves and swirls in dark patterns. I continue to study the ancient wood rings barely visible, ignoring the multitude of needlepoint pricks each pair of eyes bore into my back.

I glance down the line to my left. Sensing me, Leaf turns.

I got you , he mouths. I have no time to react or respond before the commander wails and the ancient doors magically swing open. I charge through the threshold without thinking.

The old Akemi would have frozen. Would have waited for assurances.

But I am not her. Not anymore.

The area in front of me is dark, almost pitch black. My eyes barely have time to adjust before I slam into something hard. A stone wall.

Ouch .

I brush my hands along the unforgiving stone, feeling for a divot or corner or something.

I need to slow down. Assess the situation.

How is my breathing already labored when I only just began?

I take a few breaths and back away from the wall.

It appears endless, stone disappearing into the murky black depths above.

A draft of crisp air is the only indication that the maze opens to the night sky beyond.

I squint my eyes to get a better look. Dark clouds are barely visible beyond the top of the stone wall, outlined by a sliver of moonlight.

I’m alone. Selene and Gryphon are nowhere to be seen. In fact, there aren’t any champions around me at all.

Every door must have portaled each champion into a different part of the maze!

I cast a small sunfyre spell and lift the ball of light in my palm, illuminating the area surrounding me. There is only one pathway to the left.

With no other option in sight, I stride forward at a brisk walk. Fast enough to cover ground, but slow enough to stop myself before slamming into another wall.

I reach the edge of the aisle, dragging my fingertips along the rough hewn edges of the stone. With my sight limited, I’ll have to resort to using my other senses. The aisle comes to an end, splitting into two different paths. I choose a direction, following no logic other than my gut.

Left.

After a few minutes, the sense of dread that started as a seed has taken root in my gut.

It’s quiet. Eerily quiet.

I keep turning left until I hear the clash of metal ahead. I stifle my sunfyre and run straight ahead. My arms are just long enough to touch either side of the wall with my fingertips.

“Get off me, you bitch!”

“I take that as a compliment.”

Slowing my pace, I peek around the edge of the wall.

Cassiopeia has Pictor Lang pinned to the wall.

Both first-stones are impressive duelists, but Cassi always has that hungry gleam in her eye.

Blood is splattered along the floor, and from what I can tell, both cadets are injured.

We aren’t supposed to be making killing blows, but deep down, I know that Cassiopeia, Sabra, and Ragnar would do it.

The Jord team has been playing dirty this whole time; what would stop them now?

I compartmentalize any empathy for Pictor. I have to focus on myself.

Get to the center of the maze. Win the Summit. When I phrase it that way, it sounds easy enough, right? Words can be weapons, even if they are the ones I tell myself.

If Cassiopeia and Pictor want to lose time dueling, so be it. After all, one is representing the Jord, the other the Human sponsors. As one of Terraguard’s champions, I should stay separate.

The edge of the opening is mostly lit, but if I can just slip past them in the shadows near the edge, I can keep straight in the maze…

“Hey! Who is that?” Pictor yells, no doubt trying to use anything as a distraction from the knife at his throat.

Shit, shit, shit.

I run full speed ahead and snuff out my sunfyre .

Throwing my hands out to each side to feel for the walls, I run, rolling my feet carefully with each stride, so as not to make a sound.

The only things guiding me in the darkness are my bleeding fingertips and the faint pulling sensation that leads me with each turn.

It’s an indescribable feeling of rightness.

Come find me.

I’m here.

This way.

As sure as a compass, I can feel the pull of the Helios Blessing.

Can the other champions hear the siren song of the object?

I begin to run, using it as a guide to pick my way through the gigantic stone walls.

After ten minutes in near darkness, I miraculously manage not to flatten myself into a wall.

And what about these “obstacles”? It’s strange that I haven’t run into anything yet—other than the walls.

I approach another split in the maze and take the path leading to the right.

Left. Left. Straight. Right. Left. Left. Right.

Or was it three lefts? Shit! I’ll never remember this. I pause and lean up against the wall, chest heaving.

Breathe. Think.

Then it dawns on me. After a few minutes, I’ve successfully composed a song, a memorizing trick Marrow taught me years ago during a Harvest Festival corn maze. A lower note for left, middle for straight, and higher for right.

I hum the song. It’s beautiful really, making simple sense out of this complex situation.

Someone— something —interrupts my song. Growling.

I freeze, listening.

Yep. Definitely growling.

Slowly, I lower my hand into my satchel and grip one of my stars. Claws scratch into the stone behind me, and I throw the star over my shoulder, not daring to look.

“Akemi, duck!” a deep voice yells. I know that timbre anywhere.

I obey, rolling to the ground. A dark form jumps above me in a blur of fangs and fur.

An arrow flies over my head, cutting the air so fast it sings.